NurseSavvy ranking · Texas · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Texas (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 128 RN programs in Texas that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Texas, and what graduates earn a year out.
Texas A&M International University comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Texas’s 128 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Texas
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 179score
Texas A&M International University
LaredoBSN· Public
A 98.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 123 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98.4% of 123
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $3,637/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $75,009 1 yr out
- 278score
University of Houston College of Nursing
Sugar LandBSN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 67 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 67
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $14,276/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $85,740 1 yr out
- 376score
Midwestern State University
Wichita FallsBSN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 52 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 52
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $11,656/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $77,928 1 yr out
- 473score
Texas State University
Round RockBSN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 84 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 84
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $16,805/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $72,861 1 yr out
- 572score
Sam Houston State University
HuntsvilleBSN· Public
A 95.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 177 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.5% of 177
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $16,404/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $82,463 1 yr out
- 671score
Stephen F. Austin State University
NacogdochesBSN· Public
A 96.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 131 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96.2% of 131
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $14,260/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $74,683 1 yr out
- 771score
Texas A&M HSC College of Nursing
BryanBSN
A 99.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 250 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 99.6% of 250
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 870score
Lamar University
BeaumontBSN· Public
A 91.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 120 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91.7% of 120
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $9,366/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $77,946 1 yr out
- 970score
Houston Christian University
HoustonBSN· Private nonprofit
A 97.8% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 46 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.8% of 46
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $20,629/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $79,229 1 yr out
- 1070score
Prairie View A&M University
HoustonBSN· Public
A 91.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 62 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91.9% of 62
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,570/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $83,218 1 yr out
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Texas leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Texas State University (BSN), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: Lee College (ADN), 70% on time.
- Lowest average net price: College of the Mainland, $1,342/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: West Coast University Texas, $95,859 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Lee College (#13 overall) and Texas A&M International University (#1 overall).
How we ranked Texas’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Texas board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Texas’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Texas?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Texas A&M International University (BSN, Laredo) ranks #1 of 128 RN programs in Texas with a score of 79 out of 100 and a 98.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Texas nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Texas board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in TexasTexas in one page: 164 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 95,970), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in TexasNurse practitioners in Texas earn a median of 131,670 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in TexasRegistered nurses in Texas earn a median of 95,970 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.